


Taming the Lion

by Madame_Gatekeeper



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Jealousy, Some Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:53:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27823303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madame_Gatekeeper/pseuds/Madame_Gatekeeper
Summary: Byleth just wants to help her former students through this war but there is one man she just can't seem to console. A moment of weakness and a chance encounter triggers events that might help her save her wounded prince. Nothing stays secret in Garreg Mach for long though and jealousy can be a powerful thing.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth, Sylvain Jose Gautier/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 2
Kudos: 67





	1. A Choice

Byleth was in a reminiscing mood that day. As she sat at her desk leafing through paperwork, she wondered how Seteth did it all those years ago without getting distracted. It had been one year since she'd returned to the monastery and found all of her students grown up and the faculty spread around Fodlan. One year since she'd discovered Dimitri, the Crown Prince of Faerghus on the steps of Garreg Mach, covered in blood and fighting like a wounded animal. One year spent trying to piece people's lives back together amidst a country torn apart by war. She liked to think she had been doing a good job. Most of her former students had done well for themselves over the past 6 years. Annette and Mercedes were still the best of friends, both capable sorcerers now in their own rights. Felix had grown into a brilliant swordsman and was always looking for new sparring partners to show off his skills. Ingrid was as committed as ever, training hard to become a knight of great renown. Sylvain was still running around after every woman he could see and Ashe was a confident archer, just as kind hearted as ever. And then, of course, there was Dimitri. 

Byleth always knew there was a darkness within him but she would never have guessed just how that would manifest itself. He was the only one she hadn't managed to console yet. The only one she really needed to help, for both her own selfish happiness and the future of Fodlan. Consumed by hatred after the betrayal of Edelgard and the capture and tortured death of his right hand man Dedue, he'd been seeking vengeance for all these years. Even now after they had all reunited, he was still so distant from everyone, skulking around, fighting endlessly and avoiding contact unless mandatory for training as a unit. Byleth was the only one he seemed to take notice of. Even then it was only a quick glance or a nod when she tried to help with his form or advise on his swordsmanship. Byleth had been down this path before. Reminiscing about Dimitri always made her heart ache. Long before the war they had grown close, some might even say inseparable. They trained together daily, spent hours taking tea in the gardens and everyone always assumed they would end up together. They had even stolen a kiss every now and then, though she had never told the others. Oh how much has changed, Byleth thought. She was still training her former students, they still called her Professor despite the fact they were all grown, and she still enjoyed instructing them in her mercenary skills, but there was an air of unrest amongst the group with their leader so distant. She knew she must find a way to help him.  
My, it's gotten so late... Byleth thought as she glanced up and noticed it had grown dark outside. As she got up to close the curtains she was startled by a sharp knock at the door. "Who is it?" she called out.

"You're favourite student, professor!" a carefree voice chimed back.  
"Come in Sylvain" Byleth replied with a smile and a chuckle. The door opened revealing a charming red-haired man who sauntered in, closing the door behind him.  
"What do you want now Sylvain? It's getting quite late you know" Byleth noted, walking around to the front of her desk to focus on him. She hadn't really noticed before when he arrived but he was looking surprisingly well groomed, dressed in just the smart green shirt and black trousers he wore underneath his armour every day, with a black blazer thrown on over the top.  
"Can't a friend check in on his mentor without wanting something?" Sylvain replied cheekily.  
"Not at this hour, anyone would think you had improper motives Sylvain" Byleth replied with a raised eyebrow. She knew she shouldn't encourage him but she couldn't help herself. She'd always had a fond spot for him, even though she would never admit it to anyone, and he made it so easy to flirt back.  
"Okay, you got me. I'll admit I came here on an impulse. There's something I need to speak to you about Professor." Sylvain said, somewhat seriously.  
She wasn't sure about this tone. Sylvain was never this sincere. They always joked around but he had never come to her privately like this before. She wondered what he could possibly want.  
"Go on" Byleth said uneasily.  
"Okay." Sylvain took a deep breath. "I'm just going to come right out and say it. It's been a year since we've been back at the monastery and all reunited again. It's been great seeing everyone don't get me wrong, and we've won some major battles against the Empire, but we all know something's not the same."  
"I think I know what you're referring to Sylvain" Byleth said cautiously. "Just come out with it."  
"Dimitri. He's not going to get better Professor. No matter how hard you try. We can all see it. I've known him for years. Even Ingrid's starting to lose hope. You're the only one of us who hasn't truly given up on him. I know how close you were before, well, all of this happened." He gestured around the room as if trying to indicate the position they had all found themselves in. "I just see the way you look at him and I'm going to be honest with you Professor, it breaks my heart."  
"I'm so sorry I've wounded you Sylvain" Byleth chuckled back sarcastically, trying to make light of the situation.  
She didn't like the look she got back.  
"I'm not joking around this time Professor. I know we don't have that kind of relationship yet. We flirt, we dance around each other in a never ending game of cat and mouse, but this time I need to be honest with you. It's killing me to see you waste your life waiting for him to come back to you."  
"Yet." Byleth said, suddenly acutely aware of every word he was saying.  
"What?"  
"You said, we don't have that kind of relationship yet. What are you really here for Sylvain?"  
"I've come here with my heart on my sleeve, to try and stop you following after that man, if we can even call him that now." Sylvain muttered the last part under his breath. "I wish you could see what's right here for you. I've given this some serious thought over the past few months. I know you two were close but even you must have limits to your patience. If you can tell me that you don't have any feelings for me, I'll turn right around and walk out of that door and we'll never speak of this again. You know I don't kiss and tell." Sylvain winked but Byleth could see it was done to cover up his insecurities. 

She didn't know how to react. If she was being honest with herself, it wasn't like she had never had thoughts about the two of them had things turned out differently, but she had always assumed their relationship was built around flirting and nothing more. She had never really noticed how much he might actually care. As she stood there, stunned and unsure, she realised how close he had gotten. He must have been slowly walking forward whilst she was thinking but she found herself staring directly at his chest. When she looked up to his face she saw just how sincere he was being. Looking down at her was a man who was opening his heart and bearing his soul.  
"I've changed Professor. I'm not that philanderer from 6 years ago. Those 5 years of war, being separated from everyone, and this year of being reunited with you, it's put everything into perspective. It's time to start moving on with our lives and taking things seriously. You can't wait around forever."  
"Sylvain..." Byleth said softly, "I don't know how to respond to this."  
"Then don't say anything" He replied quietly and reached down to place on a hand on the side of her face. "If you don't want this, just tell me - I'm a big boy" he said through a smile as he tilted her chin up to kiss her.  
Byleth's mind went blank. She seemed to move on instinct and she was surprised when she didn't find herself pulling away. She thought she sensed that same surprise from Sylvain as well and felt it urge him on. He kissed her deeper, placing his arms around her and pulling her in close. Byleth began to wonder if this was how he kissed all the girls. No wonder he was so successful. She found herself leaning in closer. She felt his hands move as he slipped his jacket off and began to undo the first few buttons on his shirt. Her hands moved up instinctively to run along his now bare chest. She felt her fingers run along a small raised scar. It was long since healed but she knew exactly what had caused it. A flash of memory passed in front of her eyes. She remembered having to patch Sylvain back up after one of the weapons Dimitri had tried to repair had snapped during a practice fight. He was always breaking things and was never very good at fixing them again when he was younger. She remembered Ingrid scolding Dimitri for not being more careful. She remembered Dimitri apologising for days, working tirelessly to learn weapon maintenance and constantly badgering her for more tips so he wouldn't hurt his friends again.  
Dimitri...

"Sylvain, I can't do this, I'm sorry." She said, snapping back to reality and gently pulling away from him, her breathing still heavy.  
"Byleth..." He whispered, stepping forward again, trying to reach her.  
Maybe it was him saying her name rather than calling her Professor that struck a nerve, or maybe it was the lingering memory in her mind but she knew what her decision was.  
"No Sylvain." Byleth said, more insistently this time, as she rested against her desk. "You said if I didn't want this, you would stop." The hurt in his eyes was plain to see, but she also saw a level of respect and a sense of understanding, like he knew this would happen all along.  
Sylvain sighed gently and chuckled under his breath. "You love him don't you?" He asked.  
"Sylvain, I.." Byleth started to speak but was interrupted.  
"Hey it's okay, I knew it, but I guess I didn't want to believe it. Some part of me always thought there would be a chance."  
Did she love him? She'd never really thought about it but Sylvain's question echoed in her mind. After a moment's pause she stepped back up him and looked into his eyes.  
"I don't blame you for trying Sylvain." Byleth said. "It's my turn to be honest with you. You're right. I can't tell you I don't have some feelings for you. We both know there's some kind of connection between us, and yes, we've been flirting from the moment we met each other, but I don't think I can give you what you want. I'll always have a place in my heart for you and I cherish you as a dear friend, but you're right. I won't give up on him. I can't. He's going to come back to us."  
Sylvain looked at her with a gentle smile on his face. "Hey, no sweat. I just needed to say my piece and give it a shot. You aren't the first girl to turn me down" He grinned cheekily. "Like I said, I'm a big boy." She noticed his smile didn't reach his eyes. She knew this was painful for him and she felt partially guilty for her part in it, but she knew this was the right decision.

"Well." Sylvain reached down and picked his jacket off the floor "I guess that's my cue to leave. I'm not foolish enough to stick around when I've been so callously refused."  
"Hey, don't be like that!" Byleth pouted.  
"Hah I'm only joking Professor" Sylvain laughed, "This was fun. Can't say that I don't wish we could do this again sometime, but I got it. You just make sure you take care of him yeah?" He began to walk towards the door. "Oh, and if anyone asks, you were giving me late night tutoring to help me catch up after I overslept one morning. Not so hard for people to believe eh?" He winked again.  
Byleth giggled and nodded, relieved that everything seemed to be okay between them.  
"Thank you Sylvain, I'll see you around."  
"Sure thing Professor."

As Sylvain exited the room, shirt buttons still half undone and jacket slung over his shoulder, quietly whistling to himself, he didn't seem to notice he had been spotted. Two girls sitting at the other end of the hallway, eating sweets and exchanging stories, noticed the movement.  
"Annie, quick, look, is that Sylvain?" Mercedes whispered  
"Hmm?" Annette looked up from her book. "Yeah I think it is. What's he doing out this late?"  
"Oh he's properly just returning from his latest conquest." Mercedes rolled her eyes and giggled.  
"But wait, isn't that the professors room!?" Annette said with realisation.  
"Annie! What are you suggesting!"  
"I'm not suggesting anything Mercy, I think the evidence is right there!"  
Mercedes and Annette looked at each other before bursting into a fit of giggles.  
"We have to be careful Annie, if this gets out I just know something bad is going to happen." Mercedes urged.  
"Oh don't worry Mercy, a bit of harmless gossip never hurt anyone!"


	2. Reverberations

Byleth woke up the following morning with a slight hint of anticipation. Would Sylvain keep their rendezvous a secret? She knew nothing really happened between them, and Sylvain had promised not to tell a soul, but gossip spread like wildfire in Garreg Mach. She knew if the slightest hint of a clandestine meeting between the two of them got out everyone would know about it within a day or two. She decided it was best to just get out there and see how the day unfolded. 

It was another beautiful day in Fodlan. There was a brief period of peace amongst the turmoil of war as the Empire regrouped. Byleth and her former students had pushed them back south to an old fortress in Darley territory. Everyone had spent the last few months taking their time repairing, recovering and training. As she rose, got dressed and wandered down to the dining hall for breakfast she ran across Sylvain. Typical, Byleth thought to herself. Still, better act normally around him or something will start to be said. 

"Good morning Sylvain." she shouted across the room.  
"Morning Professor, sleep well last night?" Sylvain replied.  
"Very well thanks Sylvain, I hope you got some rest as well and didn't get up to your usual antics?" She knew this was a leading question but she had to be certain.  
"Not at all, had to be rested up for some serious training today Professor!" He grinned across at her, not a hint of a lie showing on his face. Good, Byleth thought, seems he will keep up appearances. She didn't know why she had been so worried. She smiled back then went about her day as usual.

One day passed, then the next without incident. The following day however, when Byleth was running errands, she bumped into Ingrid and Felix. 

"Good day Professor." Ingrid said "What brings you to town today?"  
"Nothing much Ingrid, just grabbing some supplies." Byleth replied. "What about you two?"  
"We just came out for a walk, Annette and Mercy were driving us crazy over breakfast this morning."  
"Ah I see, how so may I ask?" Byleth enquired. "I hope nothing too serious?"  
It was at this point that Felix chimed in. "Just some childish rumours they seemed intent on giggling over. Total mundane and pointless of course."

Byleth's heart skipped a beat. 

"Rumours?" She enquired, "I'm not one for gossip but if it's something I should know about I'd really rather be informed." 

Subtle Byleth, she thought to herself.

"It's really nothing Professor!" Ingrid quickly jumped in. "Absolutely nothing to do with you!"  
"Ingrid, you're a terrible liar" Felix retorted. "She'll find out soon enough. Besides, I'm sure it's all lies anyway so there's no harm in telling her."  
"No harm in telling me what?" Byleth asked, knowing full well what was about to be said.  
"Okay Professor, well, Annette swears she saw Sylvain roaming around the female dormitories a few nights ago."  
"Ingrid, you must know that is nothing particularly special." Byleth replied with a smile.  
"Oh yes I know Professor, but the ridiculous thing was that she says they saw him coming out of your room. Mercedes tried to get her to be quiet but didn't have much luck."  
Byleth was prepared, she just hoped Sylvain kept up his end of the agreement if the news got to him. "Annette and Mercedes are correct, Ingrid. Sylvain did come to my room earlier this week, late at night in fact. He had overslept that morning after his exploits the night before and missed a lecture I was giving, so I made sure he caught up in his free time. I can assure you that nothing scandalous occurred."  
Ingrid blushed. "Professor, I...I meant no disrespect. I knew it couldn't be true but the way they were going on about it all morning, it was hard to not overhear."  
"See Ingrid, I told you this was all a farce. You know full well the professor would never stoop to that idiot's level. Come on, let's get back to our day." Felix exclaimed before striding off.  
"Okay Felix... see you later Professor" Ingrid said sheepishly before scurrying off after him.  
Byleth waited until they were well out of earshot before taking a sigh of relief. Now more than ever she was grateful she had earned the respect of her peers. She didn't like to lie to them but she wasn't about to let one slight transgression throw a wrench into the works of their tight knit group. Not when they had battles to find alongside each other. Byleth quickly pushed it out of her mind and carried on with her day as normal.  
Another few days passed with no further incident. Byleth woke up later that week feeling sure that Sylvain had kept his word and that the rumours had been well and truly squashed. Today was going to be a good day anyway. She knew that it was unit training day, meaning all of her closest companions and former students would be together to practice manoeuvres, share reports and tutor each other. It was the one day of the week she looked forward to as it was the only day she knew she would definitely see Dimitri. After her little altercation with Sylvain she knew for certain she had to try harder than ever to get him back to his old self. 

She rose with a spring in her step and began her walk down to the training grounds. As she entered she glanced around, checking who had arrived and greeting everyone in turn. It wasn't long before she noticed him, standing in the corner as normal, leaning against one of the pillars. She stood across from him in her usual spot, ready to start the day's session once everyone arrived and tried to catch his gaze. It didn't take long for him to look her way but when their eyes met Byleth saw something flash across them that unnerved her. There was usually an unspoken spark between them, a longing for the old days and time they had spent together, but the only thing that she saw that day was rage. The hairs rose on the back of her neck and she quickly looked away. What on earth has got into him, she thought to herself. She went back to surveying the room and counting attendance. At that moment, Sylvain came bundling through the large wooden doors that marked the entrance of the training grounds. 

"Morning all!" He exclaimed as happy as ever. He quickly spotted Ingrid and Felix and sauntered over to start chatting with his lifelong friends. It was at that moment Byleth spotted something out of the corner of her eye. Dimitri's expression had changed. He never looked happy these days, a smile was a rarity she'd only ever seen once or twice in the past few months when they had passed each other in a quiet corridor, but this was more than his normal tense demeanour. He had a look of anger and disgust written plain across his face. She watched as he grunted under his breath and turned away from the newly arrived Sylvain. Byleth had a horrible sense of dread but she knew better than to try and say anything. She just had to get on with the session and hope it was nothing. 

Byleth stepped up to the front of the room, greeted everyone again and began her usual routine of running through what had been happening that week. She relayed enemy movements, scouting intelligence and made requests of people to get supplies they needed. All of the people in this room were her trusted allies and she needed everyone to be up to speed for them to stand a chance of winning this war. Once everyone was caught up, they moved on to practicing group manoeuvres. Everyone split up into pairs or small groups to practice sparring with each other. Byleth normally told everyone who to pair up with to work on their weaknesses. As she began dishing out partners, Dimitri walked straight up to Sylvain and stood there, waiting for some kind of response. Sylvain took notice, looked him up and down and shrugged, "Yeah that works with me your Highness, could use some practice against one of our finest, got to keep this body in good shape for the ladies" Sylvain joked, a slight hint of concern visible on his face. Dimitri sneered and grunted in response. Byleth was too stunned to intervene. She had a horrible feeling about this but had no choice but to watch it play out. 

Training began in earnest. As she walked around correcting peoples forms, she kept glancing over to where Dimitri and Sylvain were sparring. She didn't notice anything too bad occurring but it still made her nervous. Why did Dimitri have to pick Sylvain? It couldn't possibly have anything to do with the rumours, she was sure she had stopped them in their tracks. How could Dimitri possibly have heard about them when he was always alone in his room or out hunting and fighting bandits? Unless he was in the dining hall that day Annette and Mercedes were talking? She quickly pushed the never ending stream of questions from her mind. As the day progressed everyone began to head off for the afternoon. Time passed until it was just her, Dimitri and Sylvain left in the training grounds. Byleth watched from a distance. She knew she didn't need to correct these two. They were the best lance fighters in the Kingdom. They had been sparring for hours, Sylvain was dripping in sweat. Dimitri on the other hand, looked like an animal playing with his food, face unchanging, not a hint of exhaustion. "Okay your Highness, *pant*, I think, *pant*, that's enough now..." Sylvain said breathlessly as he parried the blows back. Dimitri showed no sign of relenting. "Hey, Dimitri, come on buddy, you can give it a break you know, I think we've trained enough for one day. Everyone else has gone, you don't need to impress the professor you know". That was the wrong thing to say. 

Byleth saw what was about to happen a split second too late, she rushed forward but it was too late. Dimitri's lance found its way clean past Sylvain's defences without any resistance and dug deep into the side of his knee between the plates of his armour. "Argh!" Sylvain cried out. Dimitri didn't even flinch. He thrust forward further, digging the lance in and pushing Sylvain to the ground. He had that look on his face he always had when he was going for the kill.  
"Dimitri, stop!" Byleth shouted and jumped between them without thinking. She stood over Sylvain and tried to block Dimitri's line of sight. His one remaining eye was flickering with rage. "Dimitri! What are you doing?! Stop!" Byleth shouted. She thought she saw a glimmer of something cross his face as his eye darted to meet hers. Was it fear? Regret? Anger at her? She would never know as he pushed her aside with ease and turned his gaze back to the wincing Sylvain. Dimitri gritted his teeth and growled under his breath, before ripping his lance out of Sylvain's leg and striding off.

"Sylvain, are you okay?" Byleth rushed over to check on him.  
"Yeah I'm fine Professor, thanks, think I just need to go to the infirmary and sleep it off " Sylvain tried to laugh but winced from pain. " Guess he's still got a heart in there after all eh? Guess it's my own fault for mentioning you".  
"Sylvain this isn't your fault, I'm so sorry. I'll make this right" Byleth said. She quickly glanced around to try and catch where Dimitri had gone and saw him heading in the direction of the dormitories. She felt anger boil up inside her. "Here, let me help you." 

Byleth helped Sylvain make his way to the infirmary where the medics could patch him up properly. As she turned around to leave, Sylvain grabbed her hand and pulled her close. He whispered in her ear. 

"Be careful professor. Bring him back to us. He needs you." 

His head rolled back onto the pillow and he fell asleep. She stayed just long enough to check Sylvain was going to be fine with the medics before darting off to find Dimitri.


	3. Reawakening

Byleth knew it was dangerous to go after Dimitri now. She had seen him when he was consumed by rage before on the battlefield. She knew no one could get through to him, but she also knew that she had to act now, before he did something worse. She realised now she was the only one who could break through to him. If that altercation had shown her anything, it was that the old Dimitri was still in there. The Dimitri who cared for her deeply. The Dimitri she needed back in her life. Byleth strode across the grounds, trying not to run. Besides her and Sylvain, no one else knew what had just happened. She had told the medics it was an accident and he'd fallen over a rack of weapons. A terrible excuse she knew but she couldn't afford to alert anyone else to Dimitri's condition. They all knew he was unstable right now but if they knew he had started injuring his own allies, he would be banished from the monastery and she knew that couldn't happen. She might want Dimitri back for her own selfish reasons, but she also knew he was critical to the future of Fodlan in this war. 

She rounded the corner to the dormitory area and began making her way upstairs to Dimitri's room. As there were fewer people living at the monastery these days Dimitri had secured one of the rooms at the far end of the dormitories, well away from everyone else. Byleth hastily tried to think of what she was going to say or do. She was angry and concerned but she had to have some kind of a plan. She couldn't just barge into the room sword raised and expect a response. So many thoughts ran through her head, but before she knew it she was standing outside his door. She took a deep breath and decided to simply go in and demand to be told what he thought he was doing and see where that got her. She raised her hand and knocked firmly on the wood. "Dimitri," she said through the door in the sternest voice she could muster. "I need to see you". She heard nothing. She knocked again. "Dimitri, please, it's me." She heard a grunt and decided to take that as an invitation. She swung the door open, walked into the room and closed the door firmly behind her. "Dimitri I need to..." 

She didn't manage to finish her sentence.

She had come here with every intention to shout her way through that stubborn skull of his, but when she saw him her anger just melted away. Dimitri was standing at the opposite end of the room with his back to the door. He was leaning both hands on his desk in front of him, staring at the table top. He'd not even taken off his cape or breastplate, just thrown his boots and leg armour in a pile by the door before he'd clearly given up. She could see him trembling still from what she assumed was adrenaline and rage. Byleth stood there for a moment, watching and waiting. Time seemed to stand still. When he made no signs to turn around she began slowly walking towards him. She got close enough to touch him but dared not reach out her hand. Instead she spoke quietly. "Dimitri, please, I need to speak with you. I need to know you're okay". More time passed. Byleth just stood there, waiting, hoping he would say something. After what felt like an eternity, she plucked up the courage to reach out. She lightly placed a hand on his shoulder and was surprised when he didn't flinch. 

"I'm sorry".

They were the first words he had said to her in months. She wished it didn't have to be those words. She moved her hand off his shoulder as he stood upright and slowly turned around to face her. He didn't look her in the eyes, he simply stood and stared at the floor. She knew this was the only chance she would get.  
"Dimitri, tell me what is going on." Byleth said softly, "I know we haven't spoken in months but right now I need you to work with me on this. Even if that just means listening to me." She waited for a response that didn't come. "You'll be pleased to know Sylvain is going to be fine." She watched as a faint glimmer of relief flickered across Dimitri's face but she also saw a muscle twitch in his neck. "No one else has to know about what just happened. I just need to know why you did it. What are you thinking? Help me to understand"  
Dimitri barged past her and locked the door before turning to lean against it. Byleth turned and stood squarely to face him again. She wasn't going to let him intimidate her, but he wasn't making it easy...  
"I've heard some unsettling things recently Professor." Dimitri muttered, eyesight still glued to the floor. "How could you let him lay a hand on you." He said so quietly, but with so much fury, his gaze snapping up to meet hers. She could see the pain he felt plain as day.  
"Dimitri, I don't know what you have heard, but I promise you, there's nothing happening between Sylvain and I." She saw his hand clench as she said Sylvain's name. She knew this might be her last chance to get through to him.  
"Dimitri, we just want to help you. Everyone's so worried about you. It's been so hard, seeing you suffering everyday and not being able to reach you. If you would just talk to me. Like we used to." She took a slow step forward, never once leaving his gaze.  
"You want to help me by abandoning me for some pleasure seeker?" Dimitri said with irritation.  
"Is that what you think?" Byleth said with a voice full of guilt. "Dimitri, no, that's not it. I'll always be here for you. I've only ever wanted you. I miss you. You aren't the same man anymore but that's okay. We've all changed and grown. But I know in there somewhere there's a kind, loving man who just needs a helping hand. I want to help confront those demons you're dealing with." With every sentence she walked forward a step further. She saw the rage subsiding, his hand unclenched as it seemed for the first time in years, he truly saw her, standing there, pleading for him to come back to her. She saw a glimmer of hope as Dimitri began to speak.  
"I was living a nightmare for 5 years. A nightmare in which I was constantly tormented by betrayal and loss...I'd lost my family, my friends and I'd lost you... No matter how many corpses I piled up in revenge, in the end, the voices in my ears only grew louder. Voices loathing me, calling out to me... Their inescapable death cries ringing in my ears...clinging to my soul... Even now, I can always hear them. I was certain I would be hearing them until the day I died. But then you appeared before me again and for the first time in five years, I felt a spark of hope. I wanted nothing more than to reach out to you but I didn't know how. My heart has been locked away for so long. When I heard those rumours, those voices of betrayal just came back so loudly I couldn't drown them out anymore." As he spoke, Dimitri stepped closer coming to a stop in front of Byleth in the middle of the room, as if waiting for a response.

" Dimitri." Byleth reached up to touch his arm. "I would never betray you." She felt him start to relax at her touch. It had been so long.  
"I know that, deep down." He muttered under his breath. "I just can't see past my anger. I'm sorry it had to come to this."  
"I'm sorry too, I should have come to you sooner."  
There was a moment of silence. Both of them acknowledging this moment of declaration and acceptance, tension growing in the room as they stood close together for the first time in years. Finally Byleth plucked up the courage she should have had long ago.  
"Dimitri, I need you, I've always loved you."

Those words were the knife that cut the tension between them. Without hesitation Dimitri stepped forward, pushing Byleth back across the room and against the desk. Placing a hand behind her head he lifted her mouth up to kiss her. This wasn't how Byleth remembered it. She'd stolen a few kisses from Dimitri before when they were younger but this felt like something new. Something primal. All that longing, all that unspoken passion, kept locked away for years. She kissed him back as she felt him press his body against her. He placed a hand on her back, pulling her against him. One hand moved through her hair, undoing her necklace which fell onto the desk as she reached around his neck. His cape fell to the floor as she knocked the clasp undone with her wrist in her haste. Her hands clumsily reached round to undo the leather straps on his armour, longing to feel his body underneath. His breastplate fell to the floor with a crash, no concern for alerting anyone in this quiet monastery dormitory. She felt his hands move to her shoulders where he helped her slide out of her jacket. He began kissing his way down her neck to her shoulder while she let out a low groan of pleasure. She began to unbutton his shirt as she felt his breath and lips on her neck. She slipped it over his shoulders, and began to run her fingers across his chest before moving to kiss across every one of his scars, as if wishing she could heal them. Dimitri reached down to take her by the chin and kiss her again whilst his fingers carefully unlaced her bodice. Her knees went weak as she felt it drop behind her. He lifted her effortlessly and placed her on the top of his desk before kissing his way down her chest whilst removing her boots and stockings. Each kiss was like a spark of lightning on her skin. He moved to undo her shorts, lifting her with one arm to slide them off onto the floor. Byleth's hand moved to undo his belt and trousers. When she fumbled with anticipation, she felt him smile as he kissed her and reached to remove them himself. There was a brief pause whilst they both caught their breath, basking in each other's glow. She wrapped her legs around him as she felt him lift her from the desk. He carried her to the bed at the side of the room. He lay her down carefully, climbed onto the bed beside her and began kissing his way up her body. Along her legs, across her hips, over her breasts. She felt the soft sheets beneath her as she wriggled beneath his touch. Dimitri climbed on top of her carefully. His gaze met hers, as if asking for permission he didn't need. Byleth responded by pulling his face to hers for a deep kiss of acceptance before she felt him enter her. It was divine. Byleth couldn't help but moan with each thrust. Dimitri tried to keep her quiet with intermittent kisses but he kept losing himself in the pleasure as well. It didn't take long for Byleth to feel herself about to explode with desire, all those years of longing so apparent. She dug her fingers into Dimitri's back in pleasure and heard him groan. "Byleth..." he moaned. It sent her over the edge. As she reached her climax she felt herself call out Dimitri's name in the throes of passion and trembled as she felt him find his release as well.

Dimitri rolled off to lay beside her and Byleth nestled into him. They both lay there for a while, indulging in their satisfaction, before Dimitri rolled to face her and finally broke the silence. "Thank you" he said softly. "I don't know what I'd do without you. I know that I can't do this by myself, you've always been the one who guided me so kindly. I will try to be the man you deserve."  
"Please," Byleth replied. "I have just as much reason to thank you. I can't imagine my life if I had never met you. I've missed you Dimitri. I promise I'll never leave your side again."  
"I've missed you too, my beloved. I love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone that made it this far! This is my first fic so I hope at least one or two of you enjoy :) Appreciate all the love


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